For the energy support of electrical devices on the seafloor, subsea cables are known in the state of the art which contain one or several conductors with an insulation and an outer sheath. The cable is generally armoured to be protected from damage which may be caused by outer impact forces, e.g. by fishing gears or falling objects.
A solution to this problem is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,417,457. This patent suggests an electrical subsea cable with a conductor, an insulation and a sheath wherein the sheath comprises two polymer layers, wherein the outer layer of the sheath has a mechanical hardness that is higher than a hardness of the insulation and wherein a hardness of an inner layer of the sheath is lower than a hardness of the insulation. The sheath has a slit parallel to a lengthwise direction of the cable. The bedding ensures that damages of the insulation are avoided even if the outer layer is deformed due to outer forces.
Another solution is presented in the published UK Patent Application 2365941. This publication presents a protective sleeving for surrounding an elongated object to be protected. This sleeving is composed of a series of cylindrical elongated synthetic plastics components arranged end-to-end. The components are joined to one another by the interengagement of complementary spigot portions and bores at the ends of adjacent components and by bands fitted in external grooves to surround the interengaged spigot portions and bores. Each sleeving component is composed of individual sections separable along a radial or diametric plane relative to the axis of the component and the sections are connected to one another by means of elongated projections snugly fitted in complementary openings. The protective sleeving is to surround elongated objects such as hoses, pipes and cables for many applications particularly in marine installations, where it is desirable to provide a means of protecting such objects from impact and damage.